Public Advocate de Blasio Delivers Over 600 Save-My-Child-Care Postcards to the Mayor

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Contact: Maibe Gonzalez Fuentes
212-669-4813

Hundreds of Parents Call on Bloomberg to Put Children First and Keep 15 Child Care Centers Open

NEW YORK - Public Advocate Bill de Blasio today demanded that Mayor Bloomberg reverse severe budget cuts that would significantly reduce the City’s capacity to provide working families with subsidized quality child care. At a press conference with dozens of parents, de Blasio also delivered 600 Save-my-Child Care postcards to Mayor Bloomberg.

The Mayor’s Executive Budget eliminates $44 million in critical funding for early education and care for children aged 2 to 4. If the funds are not restored, the City will lose 6,000 child care seats.

“These cuts would force working people, especially women, to choose between their jobs and their families,” Public Advocate de Blasio said. “The Mayor must prioritize children and families and restore these vital funds.”

Specifically, Public Advocate de Blasio asked the Administration to restore:

$9 million for 16 child care centers that serve 1,100 children;
$9 million for 31 classrooms in child care centers that serve 620 children;
$16.2 million for the “Priority 7” voucher program that serves 2,178 children from large, low-income families with social service needs.

Working parents rely on ACS child care to provide a safe place for their children during the working hours of nine to five or later. In addition, studies show that quality child care leads to a more advanced development of children's language and academic skills, and the benefits are even stronger for children who are at greater risk of having difficulty in school.

According to ACS, only 27%, of eligible New York City children receive child care.

"These Child Care Centers are the backbone of our communities. They provide a safe haven for a number of low-income families, allowing parents to work or go to school while providing their children with a safe and educational environment,” Council Member Annabel Palma said. “The devastating consequences of these closures - burdening families, reducing affordable child care services and capacity, unemployment for child care workers - would effectively lead our bright City into a dimmer future.”

“Preserving New York City's capacity to provide high quality early childhood education is essential for parents to be able to support their families in this troubled economy while also preparing young children for school success,” Executive Director of Citizens' Committee for Children, Jennifer March-Joly said. “New York City's working parents need more child care, not less.”

“Closing 15 child care programs at a time when families and young children need them most is shortsighted and a sign of poor planning on the part of our City,” Executive Director of Day Care Council of New York, Inc. Andrea Anthony said. “I understand that we are dealing with serious fiscal issues at this time but we must preserve what we have by keeping in mind that our children are our future. Child care is a vital resource for working families. Let’s treat it as such.”

“We know all too well that child care is not nearly enough of a priority. Especially in a city with such a high cost of living, the availability of subsidized child care is absolutely vital for many families," said Sonia Ossorio, Executive Director of the National Organization for Women in New York City. "We should be opening more day care centers, and instead we’re boarding them up, making tough times even tougher for women and their families. The mayor needs to reconsider the impact of these closures.”